The best things come to those who wait. And there’s no question that Jason MacDonald has waited a long time.

Time and time again, he’s thought the UFC would be calling on him. In fact, just last month MacDonald believed his time had come only to be turned down once more. So MacDonald carried on and prepared himself for MFC 10 – Unfinished Business. It was simply business as usual for “The Athlete.”

But less than 24 hours after defeating gutsy last-minute replacement Neil Berry at MFC 10, MacDonald’s wish was finally granted.

The UFC called. His time had come. And it couldn’t be a better scenario for MacDonald.

The MFC’s international sensation will take on Ed “Short Fuse” Herman on Tuesday, Oct. 10 on the UFC’s “Ultimate Fight Night 7 – The Final Chapter.”

MacDonald’s bout is on the card of Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock III and will be televised live (and for free) on Spike TV. The fight card will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

“This is where I want to be,” said MacDonald of fighting in the UFC. “I’ve felt for a long time that I’ve deserved to be there, but it’s taken a long time and that’s OK. Now that I’m going to fight in the UFC it’s made the whole journey a lot sweeter.

“But I don’t want to wake up on the morning of Oct. 11 and say ‘Well, I’ve fought in the UFC, that’s all I ever wanted.’

“I’m not going there to compete and just say I’ve fought in the UFC. I’m going there to win.”

MacDonald, the first Albertan to fight in the UFC, is very confident about his matchup with Herman, a finalist in the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter – Season 3” reality show. While Herman possesses strong wrestling skills, MacDonald sees so many positives in his own game plan that he is sure his UFC debut will be a successful one.

“I know Ed Herman is very good wrestler but I think that’s the only area that he’s any better than me,” said MacDonald. “And he’s trained with the same guys for so long, I’m really not sure if he’s progressed at all.

“I’ve become a better fighter each time I’ve fought. I learned a lot from fighting Patrick Cote, Gideon Ray, Shonie Carter and Marvin Eastman. I’m not the fighter I once was – I’m much better and I’m going to show the UFC that on October 10.”

MacDonald will have plenty of support on hand in Florida. His wife, Kelly, will be in the crowd as will the entire staff of the Maximum Fighting Championship. Not only will MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich be cheering Jason on from ringside, he’ll be playing a key role in MacDonald’s preparation as the two are heading to Quebec for a week-long training camp at the end of September.

Assisting in MacDonald’s workouts will be his Pro Camp Sports Management teammate Fabio “The Mastermind” Holanda.

“There were a lot of people who doubted that Jason would ever reach this point, but deep down he knew he’d make and I knew he’d make,” said Pavelich.

“And on October 10, Jason is going to show Ed Herman that he belongs in the UFC. Wherever Ed is right now, he better be training hard because Jason is going to be very ready. There is no doubt in my mind that Jason is going to smash Ed Herman.”

MacDonald and Herman have only one common opponent but the respective results couldn’t be more different. Herman suffered a loss to Canadian UFC veteran Joe Doerksen in 2004 when he was submitted by a triangle choke. A year later and in Doerksen’s home town of Winnipeg, MacDonald dished out some severe punishment before sinking in a rear-naked choke for the tapout victory.